21/03/2025 (Agence Europe) – At least 8,938 people – a record number – died on migration routes worldwide in 2024, announced the International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Friday 21 March, stressing that the real toll is “likely much higher”, with many deaths going undocumented. For the IOM, this is the deadliest year on record in most regions of the world, including Asia (2,778 deaths recorded), Africa (2,242) and Europe (233). 2,452 deaths were documented in the Mediterranean Sea in 2024, according to the IOM. While this is not a record, the high number “shows the need for adequate search and rescue systems as well as the need for safe and regular migration routes”, said the IOM in a press release. (SP)